Santa Monica Freeway crash kills at least 4

The fiery accident, which involved a midsized sedan, took place about 8:30 a.m.

Because of the fire as well as a "traumatic collision" with the pillar, the passengers' identities, including their ages and genders, could not be immediately determined, Humphrey said. Firefighters could identify only the remains of four occupants, but as investigators sifted through the wreckage, they left open the possibility of finding more victims.

In an unrelated accident, authorities are searching for the driver of a 1994 gray Acura Integra who fled the scene of a dramatic collision in southwest Los Angeles that left one of his two passengers dead.

It started around 2 a.m., when the gray Acura, traveling southbound on Normandie Avenue, struck another car stopped at the left turn lane at 26th Street, said Sgt. Frank Feliciano of the South Traffic Division.

The Acura then sped away on Normandie Avenue at speeds of 70 to 80 mph, Feliciano said, and struck a parked truck on the other side of the street. The car then spun counter clockwise and crashed into a nearby wooden house.

"The front passenger and front driver fled the scene, leaving the third passenger to basically die," Feliciano said. "We believe we have the suspect. We don't have him in custody, but we believe we will catch up to him."

The residents in the house struck by the Acura were unharmed, Feliciano said.

jp.renaud@latimes.com